Secret Confessions of A Hollywood Starlet
by xXxZanessaIsForeverxXx
Summary: After a rumor is spread around Hollywood about her, Vanessa Hudgens decides that it's time for her to get away. She goes to live with her mother's friend Laura, who lives in Albuquerque with her husband and her son Troy Bolton. Same story! Troynessa!


_**Secret Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet**_

**Okay, so I got this idea from a dream I had, and also from a book I read called "True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet" by Lola Douglas. It was a really good book, you should read it! So basically, Hollywood Starlet Vanessa Hudgens has been in the spotlight for almost her whole life. She was used to the rumors, but one took it way too far. Now she wants out. What does she do? She moves to Albuquerque, New Mexico with a new but similar look, a new personality, and a new name. She is now known as Gabriella Montez, freaky math girl with slightly curly hair and blueish-brown eyes. What happens when she starts to fall for Troy Bolton, who happens to live at the home she is staying at?**

**Pairings: Troynessa/ Troyella **

_**Chapter One: I Can't Do This**_

Vanessa Hudgens woke up late one morning after an exhausting evening of intense dance rehearsals. She stretched, yawning. Her eyes scanned her room. They landed on a picture of her and her boyfriend at the beach, holding her neighbor's baby. Tears formed in her eyes. When the press had gotten ahold of that picture, rumors spread like wildfire. In less than a week, the tabloids read, "Is Vanessa Hiding a Secret?", "Vanessa's Hidden Bundle of Joy" and other absurd things. They weren't true, not a bit. She hadn't even _had_ sex with her boyfriend. In fact, she was ready to break up with him.

She heard a stirring at the door and saw her little sister, Stella holding their puppy, Shadow. "Hey, Stel. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you could come with me and Shadow to the beach. We're meeting Falisha and Jayden down there if you want to come."

"Well, I haven't eaten yet, but I guess I can come. I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

"Okay," Stella exclaimed, running back downstairs.

Vanessa sighed. Sure, she loved her sister and their cousins, but she wanted more. She wanted out of the spotlight for awhile. While she thought, she was searching her closet for something to wear. She pulled out her tropical bikini and the matching cover-up for it. She slipped them on and found her oyster shell flip flops on the floor. She slid her feet into them and grabbed her bag, which contained her money, her credit cards, her cell phone, her iPod Shuffle, her digital camera, her journal, and her purse-wallet (driver's license, Disney ID, more credit cards, her passport, etc.). She also stuffed in some doggie treats for Shadow and went downstairs.

Her mother was typing away at her laptop, trying to finish up something for her job. Vanessa sat down next to her. "Mom, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Nessa, what's on your mind?" Gina asked her daughter, turning to look at her.

"Mom, I can't do this…I can't stay here in Hollywood. I want to leave for awhile."

"Well, honey, if you can think of somewhere to go, then you can go. How about Grandma's?"

"I can't go there." She thought for a minute, and finally, her face lit up. Hey, what about your friend Laura?"

"Laura Bolton, in Albuquerque?"

Vanessa nodded. "Don't they have a son?"

"Yes, Troy."

"Do you think they'd let me come?"

"Probably, I'll call and talk to her while you're out. Have fun, sweetie."

"Thanks, Mom," Vanessa said, running out the front door.

She and Stella walked to the beach together, talking. "Stella, what do you think about having my room while I go visit some friends for awhile?"

"You can't leave, Nessa! No! I don't want you to go."

"Stella, I have to go. It's for my own good," Vanessa pressed.

"Why?"

"To get away from Hollywood for awhile, you know, relax."

"Oh."

By this time, they had reached the beach. "Look, there's Falisha and Jayden," Vanessa said. She waved at her cousins. They waved back.

For the rest of the day, Vanessa was trying to convince her sister and her cousins that moving was best for her, and that she'd be back someday in the near future. It didn't go too well, and she was relieved when she walked into her house and into her mother's arms.

"Did you call her, Mom?"

"I did, and she said she'd be happy to have you. She talked to Jack and Troy, and they're fine with it, too. You're leaving the day after tomorrow. I booked your flight."

"That's good. Now can you break up with Tyler for me?"

Her mother laughed. "No, dear, you have to do that yourself."

She groaned and went upstairs. She took the photo off her desk, cut it into pieces and tossed it in the garbage can. Then she took out her phone and dialed Tyler's number. He answered on the third ring. "Hello?" he asked.

"Tyler, it's me, Vanessa," she said nervously.

"Hey, Babe. How are you tonight? You wanna go out for dinner?"

"Uh…no, thanks. I went with my sister and my cousins."

"Oh," he said, slightly disappointed. "Why did you call, then?"

"Tyler, I…I think we need to see other people."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

She gulped. "Yeah. But it's not you, it's me."

"That's what everyone says," he said icily before slamming the phone in her ear. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It had been hard, but she had done it. She was free to move to Albuquerque.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The next day, Vanessa went with her mom, Stella, Falisha, and Jayden to change up her look. She trimmed her hair a couple inches, curled it towards the bottom, and got blue contacts for her eyes. She also bought some less-expensive clothes and purses and stuff.

They had a goodbye lunch at Tony Roma's, where Vanessa ordered her favorite rib combo: baby back ribs, 2 chicken tenders and fries. For dessert, she had a chocolate brownie sundae. It was perhaps the best meal she had ever had.

That night, her cousins slept over, and the four girls had a sleepover, the last they would have for a year. The day had come to an end, and all the girls were sad when the sun came up the next morning, an indication that Vanessa's moving day had arrived.

She put on her cutest outfit and fixed her hair, both with the help of her sister and cousins. She put in the contacts. Finally she looked in the mirror. She still looked like Vanessa, but she didn't think anyone would notice her.

Her mother was waiting downstairs. When the four girls came into the living room, Gina handed Vanessa a large manila envelope. "This is for your school and stuff."

She opened it, and inside found a fake birth certificate. She carefully read it over.

"Name: Gabriella Montez, Birth date: September 28th, 1989 **(Hehe! My birthday!)**, Eyes: Blueish-Brown, Hair: Brown…"

When she was done, she looked inside the envelope again. She also found a fake job resume, fake school transcripts (She's really smart), Gabriella's driver's license, and Gabriella's credit card.

"Thanks, Mom," she said. They helped her gather her suitcases and dragged them all out to the car. Soon, they were on their way to the LAX.

After three hours of nonstop crying, Vanessa was finally on the plane. As they sped off down the runway, she stared out the window, tears forming in her eyes. Once in the air, she looked down at the city of Los Angeles. It was time to begin her new life as Gabriella Montez, freaky math girl.

_**Chapter Two: Troy's Secret**_

Vanessa woke up from a deep sleep when the pilot announced that the plane was landing. She gathered her bag and her purse, making sure her seatbelt was on. Soon they were on the ground, and she ventured out into the terminal. She found Laura Bolton, who had been holding her sign up. She walked over to the woman, who looked to be in her late forties.

"Van…Gabriella! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you! How are you, dear?" Laura asked, already treating Vanessa as though she were a daughter.

"Hey, Laura," she replied, cautiously taking off her sunglasses. "I'm fine, how about yourself?"

"I'll be better when those boys get back here," she began, searching the crowd. Looking back at Vanessa, she added, "My husband and my son, I mean. They went to have a hot dog eating contest." She rolled her eyes. "Men."

Vanessa laughed aloud, and several pairs of eyes turned to look at her. A deep red color crept upon her face, and she said, "Sorry."

"So! Um, I guess we should find them and get going. We've got a busy night ahead of us. You need to get home and get some shut eye before we go out. I want you to get used to the city and Troy was hoping to acquaint you with some of his friends," Laura said.

"That sounds great."

Just then, a man and a teenage guy came running over towards us. "Sorry, honey, the line was, like, eighty people long!" the man said, kissing Laura's cheek. Looking at Vanessa, he said, "Oh, you must be Gabriella! So nice to meet you! I'm Jack, by the way."

She held out her hand, and he shook it. Laura noticed that Troy hadn't said anything yet, and she nudged him in the arm. "Go on," she whispered in his ear.

Troy blushed, clearing his throat. Stepping forward, he introduced himself. "Hey, I'm Troy."

Vanessa took his hand and shook it. "Gabriella. Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

Noticing the awkwardness of the situation, Laura interrupted. "Well, we better get going if we're gonna get the whole night in."

They all agreed, and Jack and Troy got her suitcases into the car. Troy even opened her door for her. _What a nice guy_, she thought to herself. _He opens doors for people. How romantic. And he is kinda cute. Wait a minute, what am I saying? I moved here to get away from romance._

Despite her thought, she smiled at him and climbed in. Her skin tingled when she felt his hand on the small of her back, keeping her steady.

Once in the car, Jack was the first to speak. "So I guess we can call you Vanessa now, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just don't say it when others are around. I've already been publicly humiliated when those people stared at me today."

Troy spoke at that moment. "You know, when you live here, people stare at each other like that even when they're best friends."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. She turned to look at him.

He blushed. "Yeah. My friend Chad- he does it all the time."

She grinned. "So Troy, my mom told me that you play basketball."

He smiled, comfortable with the conversation for the first time. "Yeah."

"So what's it like being the captain of the Varsity Wildcats?" she asked.

"It's okay. Actually, it's kinda fun…So what's it like being Vanessa Hudgens?"

"Well, it's not too fun," she began. "Too many rumors. But besides that, it's great. You get a lot of money."

"Wow. What's it like to see yourself on magazines and CD's and stuff?"

"It's kinda cool. I mean, I don't like, jump around saying, 'Oh, look at me! I'm on the cover of Seventeen!' or anything, but…you know."

"Cool. So, uh…you want to meet some of my friends tonight?"

"Sure! That'd be fun."

"Well, it's just the basketball team and some of their girlfriends, but I think 'Gabriella' will make friends in no time."

She smiled. "I'm up for anything. Bring it on!"

They pulled up in front of a house. It was pretty large, but it wasn't a mansion like Vanessa's house was. "Here we are!" Jack said. He parked the car in the garage and he and Troy carried Vanessa's suitcases to her bedroom. She and Laura followed, Laura showing her where things were on the way.

"There is your bathroom, on the right," she said, pointing across the hall and down one room from Vanessa's room. "Troy's room is next door, and our room is next to the bathroom."

Vanessa nodded, then followed them downstairs. Jack had gone outside to start up the grill for lunch, and Laura wanted to get the meat ready. "Troy, would you mind showing Vanessa around the rest of the house?"

"I'll take her," he said. He led her to the living room. "Well this is the living room, obviously. Here's the tv and stuff."

She nodded. "Nice television. How big is it?" she asked.

"73 inches."

"Wow! I have a 64 inch in my bedroom at home."

"You have a big screen in your room?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We also have an indoor pool. But that's not important. I'll tell you about my house later."

He moved into the kitchen again, pointing out the fridge and other appliances. Next he took her outside, where he showed her the pool, the basketball court, and a sun deck. Back inside, he showed her the basement, where they had board games and other things to do. Upstairs, he showed her his room and his bathroom, his parents' room and their bathroom, and finally, he led her to a door at the end of the hall.

"What's that?" she asked curiously as she pointed to the door.

"This…" he began. "Is something even my parents don't know about. You can't tell anyone. It's gonna our little secret, okay?"

She nodded eagerly. He slowly opened the door, revealing a large dance studio. She stared at it in awe. "Wow, Troy! This looks almost exactly like mine!" she whispered excitedly.

"Is it? Well, I found this when we moved here four years ago. My parents hadn't come down this far, and I ventured into the room."

"You dance?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.

He nodded sheepishly and blushed. "Not very good, but yeah."

"Can I see?"

The color in his cheeks deepened about three shades. "Sure. Let me get my dance warm-ups on."

"Care if I join you?" she asked, following him to the door.

"Not at all. Did you bring dance clothes?"

She nodded. "Okay, well, get dressed. I'll meet you back in here in five minutes."

She nodded again, and went to her room. Rummaging through her suitcases, she found her pink short-shorts and a white spaghetti strap tank top. She slipped them on, along with her dancing shoes.

She went back into the room, only to find Troy standing there in only his boxers and warm-up pants. "I'm so sorry!" she gasped, covering her face to avoid staring at his nicely toned chest.

"No, no. It's fine. It's what I dance in," he said gently, prying her hands away from her face.

She blushed this time. "Oh." She allowed herself to take in his six-pack, swallowing hard. _Man, he's sexy…wait, WHAT?!_ She shook her head to rid it of the thought.

Suddenly the music started to play. She immediately recognized the song as her own "Let's Dance". A smile crept upon her face. She raised one eyebrow at him. "Me?"

He nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, it's my favorite."

"I'm glad you like it," she said. She started to move around the room, trying not to look too sexy. He watched her for a minute before joining in. By the time the song ended, they were dancing together. On the final note, he pulled her in close to him, so close that they could feel each other's breaths on their necks. His hands were on her waist, and hers were on his shoulders. Their faces were just centimeters apart.

"I think you're a really good dancer," she said. Just then, they heard Laura coming up the stairs.

"Troy! Vanessa! Lunch is ready!" she called. Troy looked through the little crack in the door. His mother looked around for them, then probably thinking they were outside or something, headed back downstairs.

They pulled apart, both blushing like mad. "I-I guess we should go eat," he said.

She nodded, and both snuck back to their rooms to get dressed. Five minutes later, they were both sitting at the kitchen table in their regular clothes. As they ate their cheeseburgers, Laura told Vanessa all about Albuquerque. When they had cleaned up, they went to get ready to explore.

In the car, the Bolton's pointed out many different things to her. She was excited to see the city again. She had been there several times while on tour, but never to live. Three hours passed, and finally they went back to the house.

At seven o' clock, Troy knocked on Vanessa's door. She opened it slowly. "Ready to go?" he asked.

She nodded. He just stared at her. She was wearing a pair of jeans that snuggled around her figure nicely and a semi-formal red tank top. She was also wearing red high heels. She reached over and grabbed her bag, then followed him to the front door.

"See you guys later. We're off," Troy told his parents, who nodded.

In his car, she looked out the window as a song played on the radio. It was "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake. She looked over when she heard Troy's voice begin to sing softly. When the song ended, he looked over at her. "You can sing too?" she asked incredulously. He nodded before turning into a driveway.

"Well, here we are. This is Chad's house," Troy said, trying to change the subject. She grinned. He got out and came over to open her door. As she stepped out, her foot slipped, and he reached out a hand to steady her. She took it in her own, and they walked to the door like that. "Remember, Troy. I'm Gabriella," she said quietly. He nodded.

Seconds before Chad answered the door, they remembered to let go of each other. The door opened, and Troy led her to the living room. She stared at all of the people in the room. There was a dark-skinned guy with crazy hair, whom Troy introduced as Chad. Next to Chad, holding his hand was a girl the same color as he.

"Hey, I'm Taylor," she said.

"Gabriella."

"Nice to meet you," Taylor continued.

By the time they had to leave, Vanessa had been introduced as 'Gabriella' to Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Jason, Micah, Kelsi and Jessica. She thanked them for having her over, and she followed Troy back to the car.

During the ride home, Troy said, "Well, that's just about everyone who could come. Oh, and did you hear Taylor mention Sharpay and Ryan Evans?"

"Yeah, from the drama club, right?"

"Yeah. Let me be the first to warn you: they're snobs. They hate new people, so if you meet them, don't be surprised if they're not as friendly as everyone else."

"Oh, okay."

The rest of the ride was peaceful. He helped her into the house, wrapping his jacket around her shivering shoulders. She pulled it tightly around her and smiled. "Thanks," she said when they were in the house and she handed it to him. He took it, brushing his hand purposely against hers.

They went to their rooms. As Vanessa got ready for bed, she thought about the connection she had felt. Usually around a guy, it took awhile, but she felt it immediately with Troy.

She started to walk to her bathroom to brush her teeth, but Troy was coming out of his room at the same time. They ran into each other. "I'm so sorry," he said, holding out his hand to help her up. She took it and jumped up.

"It's okay," she said. It was only then that they realized what they were wearing. She had on a silk nightgown that was very low-cut and stopped right at her mid-thigh. It was shorter than her dance shorts. She blushed as she took in his boxers, which was the only thing he had on. "Well, I'd better get in there…and…brush my…teeth," she said nervously.

"…Yeah…" he said.

They squeezed past each other, their skin touching for about half a second. She ran into her bathroom and quickly finished up before running back to her room.

She pulled back the silky sheets she had put on the king-sized bed and got in. She snuggled up to her teddy bear and smiled. Her head swirled with thoughts.

_Troy…what a cute name. And he is kinda cute…am I in love with him?_

Those were her final thoughts before falling into a deep sleep. She dreamt about Troy that night. They were dancing, and he kissed her. Despite the fact that she was asleep, a smile crept over her at that moment.

_**Chapter Three: Are You Okay?**_

The next morning, Vanessa was awakened by a soft whisper in her ear. "Vanessa, it's time to get up," the voice said.

She sat up so fast that, had she not been in a king size bed, she would have fallen off. "Huh?"

"Whoa, I didn't mean to frighten you like that," Troy said, smiling at her. "It's time to get up for school. I'll take you in early to show you around."

She squinted her eyes as she tried to get used to the light in the room. She looked over at the window, only to find that it was still pitch black outside. "What time is it?" she yawned.

"It's about 4:30. Come on, I'll take you to McDonalds for breakfast if we leave on time."

She dragged herself out of bed, stretching as she stood up. She fixed her nightgown and walked over to her closet. She held up a turquoise-colored sweater and whitewashed blue jeans. "Whaddya think about this?"

"That's good. Especially for the morning chill."

She grinned. "Well, are you gonna leave so I can put it on?" she asked after a minute.

"I could always close my eyes so I can't see you," he said mischievously.

"Nice try, Troy," she said. "But it ain't gonna happen."

She took his hand and dragged him to the door. She pushed him out despite his protests. Grinning, she turned around and went back to her clothes. Ten minutes later, she stepped into the hallway and walked to Troy's room.

"I thought Gabriella had blue eyes," he said, staring into her brown ones.

"Shoot! Thanks for reminding me," she said, turning to go put in the contacts.

He grabbed her arm to hold her back. "Wait a second. I love your eyes just like they are."

She blushed. "Thanks, but I have to wear the contacts so people don't recognize me."

"Aww, okay. Go put them on."

Less than an hour later, they were at McDonalds, in the new area that looked like a family room. They sat by the fireplace, and soon they were eating their breakfast. They both got cappuccinos before they left and headed off to school.

Vanessa sipped on her French Vanilla drink and grinned. "I'm used to Starbucks, but this is pretty good," she said to him.

He grinned. "You don't like Starbuck's anymore then? Too bad I was gonna take you there tomorrow morning."

"I didn't say I didn't like it!" she protested.

"Vanessa, chill. I was kidding. We'll go there tomorrow. Okay?"

She nodded. At that moment, they pulled into a parking space at East High. She got out of the car and saw a cherry-red car pull up. "Who's that?" she asked.

"That," Troy said, "Is Ryan and Sharpay Evans."

They pulled up beside Troy's car and got out. Sharpay sized 'Gabriella' up and said, "So you're the new girl."

Vanessa nodded. "I'm Gabriella," she said, trying to be friendly.

"Was I talking to you?" Sharpay said snobbily. She smiled flirtatiously at Troy, who didn't even look at her. She pouted, grabbing Ryan. She pulled him towards the school.

Vanessa looked over at Troy with her eyebrows raised. "Um…should I just say rude?"

He nodded. "I warned you, she's a little brat."

Vanessa giggled. "So what did you want to show me?"

"Well, Miss 'Gabriella', I was just getting to that point. Shall we?" he offered, holding out his hand. She gratefully took it and together, they walked towards the school.

Once inside the school building, Troy put his arm around her. "Pretend like we're together so I won't get bombarded by girls," he whispered to her. She grinned and nodded, leaning into him. "You're pretty good at this," he added. "Maybe a little _too_ good."

"What can I say? I'm an actress," she whispered into his ear. She felt her skin tingle when the sides of their faces touched and her forehead brushed against his hair.

Troy led her to the cafeteria. "We'll begin our tour here. Here is where you'll find what we call 'mystery meat' on Monday's and on Friday's, Nacho Day. Any questions?"

"What's 'mystery meat'?"

"How should I know? That's why it's a mystery," he replied.

She giggled again. "You're so cute when you act like that," she said, her words slipping out before she realized what she was saying.

"Cute, huh? Wait'll you see me in my basketball warm-ups."

While they were talking, he was leading her to the library. She stared in awe at all the books.

"This," he said, "Is where we spend most of our study hours, unless Ms. Darbus gives us detention again and we have to help paint sets for the school play."

"That's your version of detention? Man, you have it good here, Troy."

"You might change your mind about that when you actually meet Ms. Darbus. Believe me."

"Is she mean?"

"No…just, uh, a bit…harsh."

"Oh, I get it."

Next they went to the auditorium, where students were already painting sets for Ms. Darbus's morning detention. They walked in and back out, heading for the stairs.

"That's about it, except for your classes," Troy said. He looked her schedule over. "Which we don't need to go over now because I can just walk you."

"We have the same classes, right?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yep…" At that moment, his face lit up. "Wait, there's something else I want you to see. You can't tell anyone about it," he said, pulling her up a flight of stairs next to the emergency exit.

"Another secret spot? Troy Bolton, you are pretty good at keeping secrets," she complimented eagerly.

"Behold…" Troy started, opening the door and leading her to the garden on the roof, "Troy's garden! Compliments of the science club!"

She gasped. "Troy, it's beautiful!"

Troy stared at her, lost in thought. _Yeah, but not as beautiful as you._

She looked up at him, noticing his far-away gaze. "Troy?"

"Huh?"

"The bell just rang."

"Oh, shoot!" he cried, grabbing her hand. As they ran down the stairs, he said, "I hope you're not busy after school, because we get to spend the afternoon with Darbus."

Luckily, when they ran into the school, they saw all the kids scurrying to their classrooms. "Whew!" he said. "That must've been the five minute bell."

Just then, Chad and Taylor walked up to them. "Hey, where've you been? We've been looking for you for about fifteen minutes," Chad directed at Troy. To Vanessa, he said, "Hey, Gabriella."

"Good morning," she replied, grinning at Taylor. "I've actually been helping Troy study in the library," she said. Troy stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe she had come up with an excuse that good in less than a minute.

"You have?" Taylor asked her. "Wow, you must be pretty nice if you're willing to help a lunkhead basketball player like him before your first day at East High."

"Well, I like helping people," 'Gabriella' replied.

"Can you help Chad, too?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you need help with?"

"He doesn't necessarily need help with school right now, but he does need a little advice on dating. Guess where we went for our date last night?" Taylor continued.

"Where?"

"We went to the gym downtown. And he made me work out!"

"Chad!" Troy said. "Haven't I told you not to take her there anymore?"

"I had to work out!"

"Not on your dates!" At that moment, the real bell rang. "Shoot!" Troy exclaimed. He grabbed Gabriella's hand and followed Chad and Taylor down the hall to Ms. Darbus's room. They ran in, and the whole room stared at them.

"Looks like you guys get detention," Sharpay smirked under her breath.

Ms. Darbus's voice rang out like it did in the theater that morning. "Mr. Bolton! Mr. Danforth! Miss McKessie! And Ms…uh…"

"Montez," Vanessa offered helpfully.

"And Miss Montez! Twenty minutes! And if I get any smart remarks out of you, you get even more…"

They quietly found their seats and sat down. Vanessa handed her Gabriella's transcripts and grinned at Troy.

"I see that your name is Gabriella," Ms. Darbus. "Welcome to East High, Miss Montez…and now we're going to begin our study of Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_. Any questions?"

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Two and a half months later, Troy and Vanessa stayed after school to serve yet another one of their detentions. They secretly planned the rest of their afternoon together and soon it was time to go home.

Their schedule was as follows:

_Stop for an after school snack at the newest teen hotspot, the Electric Umbrella __**(a/n: This is a real restaurant/café, but it is in EPCOT at Disney World…yum!)**_

_On the way home, stop at the drugstore for Vanessa_

_Go home for a little study time_

_Take a trip to the mall, shop/eat dinner_

_Go back home and relax for the night_

In the car, Troy looked over at her. She hadn't said anything the whole way to EU. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine…it's just…it's 'that time of the month' and I don't have anything to use."

Troy's face turned deep red. "Oh. You want to go to the drugstore first?"

"No, we can get our snack…I'll just give you some money real quick and-"

She stopped talking when his hand pulled her purse out of reach. "Vanessa, the snack's on me," he said.

"Are you sure?" He nodded and took her hand. He led her into the café and they sat down at a table. "I'm gonna go use the restroom," she said.

"Alright, what do you want for a snack? You can order anything."

"Um," she said as she glanced over the menu. "Maybe I'll have a fruit bowl and an ice water."

"Is that all?"

She nodded and stood up, grabbing her purse. "I'll be right back."

Ten minutes later, Vanessa came out of the restroom. Troy was sitting with his banana split and her fruit bowl. There were two glasses of ice water next to their food. She sat down and groaned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Cramps…plus, they didn't have any tampons, so I had to get a pad. I hate pads."

"Oh," he said, not really understanding this "girl talk". He tried, he really did, but he couldn't. He nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Periods suck, Troy. They really do."

"I see," he said, digging into his food. "So does being hungry."

She laughed, raising one eyebrow. She politely separated her strawberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas, oranges, apples, watermelon and cantaloupe into piles. She ate them one by one, sipping her water along the way.

When Troy had paid the bill, he rested his hand on her back and led her to the car. They drove to the drugstore. Inside, Troy followed her to the "girl aisle".

She looked at him, noticing his confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…why are there so many kinds?"

"Why are there so many kinds of chips? Because everyone has a different preference. That's why there are so many types of tampons. Some like light, some like heavy, some like regular, some like super, some like Tampax, some like Playtex. It's called variety, Troy."

"Oh. So…which kind do you get?"

"Tampax Pearl…regular, with fresh scent."

"They have scents?"

She nodded, giggling as she handed him a box of them. She then grabbed a bottle of Midol and some magazines. Troy had gotten a cart by this time and seemed very interested in something further down the aisle. Vanessa ventured over to him, and he looked quickly away from the prized item and blushed.

She looked up at what he had been studying and raised an eyebrow again. "Condoms, huh? Who's the lucky girl?"

"Uh…no one…I just…wanted to look…never mind."

"No, no! Be my guest," she said, taking down the package he had been eyeing and handing it to him. "So you want them or not?" she asked after a minute.

He blushed, and she grabbed them from him, tossing them in the cart. She had no idea why he wanted them, but at least it made him look cool.

An hour later, they were in line with a full cart. Their inventory contained the tampons, the Midol, the condoms, about six magazines, two bottles of orange soda, Oreos, and some honey BBQ- flavored Frito Twists.

At the Bolton's, Troy let Vanessa use the bathroom while he sat on the edge of her bed. She came back in and saw Troy looking at the package he had purchased. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"N-no…okay, maybe. I'm not sure how to put these on," he said.

Once again, her eyebrow rose up from its original position. "Seriously?" He nodded sheepishly. She grabbed the box, took out a foil-wrapped package, and opened it. "Give me your biggest finger."

"Why the biggest?"

She just stared at him for a moment. He grinned. "Okay, I get it. You don't have to look at me like that anymore," he said, holding out his finger.

She grabbed it, putting the opening of the condom over it and unrolled it until it covered the whole finger. "There you go," she said. "Only you don't put it on your finger, you put it-"

Just then, Jack opened the door. Troy sat on his finger and Vanessa tossed her jacket over the box and the wrapper. Luckily, Jack hadn't noticed anything suspicious. He smiled at them.

"Well, I see that the two of you are getting along pretty well. Troy, your mother and I are going out for awhile. We should be home around midnight."

"Okay," Troy squeaked, nervous.

Jack looked at him strangely. Shaking his head, he said, "I thought your voice was done changing. Apparently I'm losing my mind."

When he was out of earshot, Vanessa laughed. "Nice one, Troy."

"Hey! I was nervous, okay? Think about it: Two teenagers together in a bedroom alone, with the girl demonstrating on how to use a condom."

"Actually, I thought it was kinda funny and cute, don't you?"

"Yeah, but he wouldn't have."

"You're right. Ready to go to the mall?" she asked.

"The mall? I though we were going to study."

"Forget studying right now. Let's go have some fun," she said.

Three hours went by, and by the time they got done shopping, Vanessa had about twelve bags of new clothes and stuff. Troy's favorite? The one from Victoria's Secret, of course. She had bought some new pajamas there, and you could definitely tell where they were from.

After dinner, they went back home. Vanessa put on her new pj's and Troy put on some sweat pants. They curled up on opposite sides of Troy's bed to watch an R rated movie since both were old enough. During the movie, the guy and the girl decided to have sex.

During the explicit scene, Troy looked over at Vanessa. She wasn't watching the movie, she was looking around the room. "We don't have to watch this if you don't want to," he said.

"Okay," she whispered. She thought she could handle it, but apparently she couldn't. She was too embarrassed to look at him. When the movie was off, the only light was that from the lamp in the corner of the room.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I'm really sorry, Nessa."

"It's not your fault. I thought I could handle it," she said quietly. It was at that moment that she turned to look at him. Their faces were centimeters apart.

Troy leaned in and did what he felt like doing the day they met. That time in the dance studio, he had almost done it, but they got interrupted. But now no one was there to interrupt them. The space between their lips closed. The kiss was soft at first, gentle.

Then it got a bit more passionate, and their tongues played games. He laid her back on the bed and straddled her. His tongue still in her mouth, his hands wandered endlessly over her clothes, eventually finding their way up under her nightshirt. Her fingers traced his shirtless abs, and she felt his hand come to a rest on the clasp of her bra. He started to tug on it. She pulled away.

"Troy, we can't. I mean, I barely know you…and my period…" She stood up and wrapped a blanket around her.

"Vanessa, I'm sorry," he said as she walked out of the room. The next morning, Troy woke up and looked around his room. Memories of the previous night flooded his memory. He stood up and went to look for her.

"Vanessa?" he called, knocking on her door. "Vanessa, I'm sorry," he whispered when there was no answer. He slowly opened the door to find the room empty.

He walked downstairs and found his mother at the table. "Mom, have you seen Vanessa?" he asked worriedly.

"Taylor picked her up. They said they had to work on a project or something."

He sighed. She was avoiding him. He knew he had moved too fast. He should have left it as a simple kiss. Maybe he deserved this.

He went back upstairs to take a shower. He couldn't help but think about her in those pajamas. His mind began to wander. He even imagined what had almost happened the night before. He tried to shake the thought out of his head, to no appeal. As he ran the soap around his body, he felt something wet trickle down his leg. He looked down and saw the sticky white substance dripping from him. A tear fell down his cheek. He couldn't think of her like this. She was his best friend- not his girlfriend.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Later that morning, Troy saw Vanessa talking to Taylor. They were whispering, and Taylor wrapped her arms around her.

Troy decided to call out for her. "Gabriella!" he called, using her alter ego name. Her brown eyes looked up at him. They were full of tears. She turned away, not wanting to see him. He did a double-take on her. Where were her contacts?

"Gabriella, wait! I'm sorry!" he called. She kept walking. "Gabriella! Please, Gabi, come on," he called, softer this time.

She stopped abruptly and turned to look at him.

"Your eyes," he said. "They're brown."

"Brown?" she asked. She took a mirror out of her bag and looked into it. "Troy, what am I gonna do?" she asked, finally speaking to him again. She hesitantly dug her face into his chest.

"Come on, let's go to the nurse. Keep your head down and pretend you're sick. She'll let us go home," he said, leading her down the hallway.

Taylor watched them go. She had noticed her friends' change in eye color, too. She had thought that Gabriella looked like someone else before, and now she knew…she just couldn't put the face to a name…yet.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Twenty minutes later, Vanessa and Troy were home. "Vanessa, I'm really sorry about last night," he said again.

"Don't worry about it, Troy…it's okay now."

"No, it's not okay. I shouldn't be doing that to you. I mean, you're not even my girlfriend…I tried to pressure you into doing something we shouldn't be doing…and I owe you a big apology."

"I accept your apology, Troy. It's okay."

"No it isn't. Vanessa…I've been hiding something from you," he said. "I feel stupid for not telling you."

"What is it, Troy?" she asked, concerned.

"That…that I think…I think I'm in love with you," he finished. He looked up at her, hope flickering in his eyes.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as their eyes met- his ocean blue to her brown. In a barely audible whisper, she said, "I love you, too."

With that, he leaned in and kissed her. And that's how they fell in love- almost three months after they met.

Okay, thanks for reading! A new chapter should be up soon! Sorry for the inconvenience! Hopefully this one won't crash! Sharayah


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